Adjustable bridle sling



Feb. 17, 1948. c, BUFFLAP 2,436,247

ADJUSTABLE BRIDLE SLING Filed June 19, 1946 INVENTOR (24R; 14. BI/FFLfl/ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 17, 1948 ADJUSTABLE BRIDLE SLING Carl A. Bufllap, Spring Garden Township, York County, Pa., assignor to American Chain 80 Cable Company, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of New York Application June 19, 1946,'Serial No. 677,64

6 Claims.

This invention relates to bridle slings and more particularly to a bridle sling in which the relative lengths of the legs may be adjusted.

' Bridle slings, as usually made, consist of a number of chains secured to a lifting ring, free ends of the chains being provided with hooks or other lifting devices. Inasmuch as securing a chain to a ring is a manufacturing operation, these slings are made to order and are comparatively useless except for the object for which they are built. When a sling is provided with legs of unequal length, it is of extremely limited utility except for lifting the particular object for which it was originally designed.

It is therefore a primary object of the pres ent invention'to' provide a bridle sling in which the relative lengths of the chain legs can be adjusted.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a chain sling in which the adjustment of the legs can be performed without the use of tools.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable bridle sling which does not introduce excessive concentrated stresses in the chain at the point of attachment of the chains to the lifting ring.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device which can be utilized to make up a bridle sling with a minimum of extra or non-standard chain fittings.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows an elevation, with parts in section, of a form of two-legged sling;

Fig. 2 is a partial section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l with the chain removed.

In the present form of device a chain H) with a hook H at each end is provided to form the legs of the sling. The lifting ring is constituted by the pear-shaped ring l2. A block, or saddle, I3 constitutes the device for transmitting the load from the chain to the ring and also for preventing movement of the chain relative to the ring when the load is applied.

This block consists of a casting or other suit ably shaped member of a generally saddle-shaped configuration. A groove [4 extends down the sides and around the bottom of the block l3 and is of sufiicient depth to engage the parallel portions [5 of the pear-shaped ring l2, as well as the semi-circular portion at the bottom of the ring. It can be seen that the engagement between this groove and the ring prevents displacement of the block in any but an upward direction; At the same time the block can be put in place or removed through the enlarged portion of the pear-shaped ring. For lightness, the groove has been shown as being formed by ribs ext-ending outward from the'body of the block. In order to receive the chain and hold it in place, the block has a roughly semi-cylindrical upper surface. In this surface there are formed pockets I6. The number of pockets shown is three, but the center pocket is the only one which has a wall l1 at both ends. The side pockets of course have a wall on their top ends, but none on the 1ower end. This construction is notstrictly necessary, for the number of pockets may be whatever is desired, and the side pockets could have a wall at their bottom ends if it were desired. However, the shown form works very satisfactorily and illustrates a proper proportioning of parts.

These three above-mentioned pockets receive the links of the chain which lie tangent to the cylindrical upper surface of the block. For those intermediate links which lie in a plane at right angles to the axis of the cylinder, the block is provided with a groove l8. This groove is simply a cylindrical groove extending deeply enough below the pockets to clear the links lying in the above-mentioned plane.

From the above description the method of use should be obvious. When it is desired to change the relative lengths of the two legs of the sling, all that is necessary is that the chain be lifted and the links moved until the desired link is in a position over the center pocket. The mere dropping of the chain in this position secures it in place against shifting by all loads which may be applied to the hooks II.

It is to' be understood that, although I have shown my preferred form of this invention, certain modifications may be made some of which are mentioned above. In addition to the mentioned modifications, it is possible to modify the forms of the pockets. For example, the links may be disposed in the grooves so that they appear in Fig. 2 to be in inclined planes rather than in a horizontal and a vertical plane. Other -modifications will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to be interpreted by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sling having a pair of legs adjustable as to relative length comprising a suspension ring,

a saddle within the ring, said saddle having grooves to receive the sides of the ring to prevent rotation of the saddle with respect to. the ring, a chain constituting the legs of the sling passing through the ring and engaging the surface of the saddle and supported thereby, said saddle having indentations to receive links of the chain and prevent lengthwise movement of the chain under load.

2. A sling having pair of legs adjustable as to relative length comprising a pearshapedsuspension ring with its larger end upward when-in lifting position, a saddle within the ring having grooves in its sides engagingithe marrow part of the ring to prevent rotationbf the saddle with respect to the ring, a chain constituting the legs of the sling passing through the ring :and engaging the surface of the saddle and supported thereby, said saddle having indentationsto receive links of the chain and prevent lengthwise movement'pf the chain under load.

rsA s1ing having :a pair 'of legs adjustable as tou elativeiength'comprising-a pear shaped suspensionringwith its larger end upward when in Hitting position and'having its two sides parallel througha portion of its narrower end, a saddle having grooves for engaging the parallel s'i'des'oi the ring to thereby prevent rotation of the saddlewithrespect to the ring, the dimensionsof the saddle :being less than the inside dimensions of the larger "end-of the ring to perniit iinsertion aof the saddle'in the ring, chain constitutingthe legs of the sling passing through the ring :and engaging the surface of the saddle an'd'snpported thereby, fsaid saddle having indentatens to receive-links of the chain and prevent lengthwise tmovemen-t of the chain under load.

For vuserin a twolegged sling, a block hav- 4 ing an exterior groove on opposite sides for engagement with a suspension ring, having an upper surface generally convex and adapted to re ceive a chain lying thereon, said block being formed with indentations on its surface to receive links of the chain, at least one of the indentations having an end wall preventing lengthwise movement of a link and thus of the chain when the chain is under load.

"5. For use in a two legged sling, a block having a groove extending down opposite sides of the block and across the bottom of the block and adapted to receivethe sides and bottom of a ring and prevent rotation of the block with respect to the ring, said block having an upper surface adapted to receive a chain lying thereon passing between the grooves, said surface being formed with "a continuous groove to receive chain links :lying in a vertical plane, said surface having further a pocket to receive link lying in other than a vertical plane, said pocket having an end wall to restrain the link therein against endwise movement.

6. For use in a two legged sling, .a block having agroove extendingv down opposite sides of the block and across the bottom of the block to receive the sides and bottom of a ring and prevent rotation of the block with respect to the ring, said block having an upper surface adapted to receive a chain lying thereon passing between the grooves, said surface being generally convex with a groove to receive chainlinks lying in a vertical plane, and having a plurality of pockets to receive linkslying in other than a vertical plane, the walls of said pockets providing means for restraining movement of the links lengthwise under :load.

CARL A. BUFFLAP. 

